An Indiana pastor admitted adultery, church-goer calls him out: She was 16

An Indiana pastor received a standing ovation after confessing his sin of adultery, but that applause quickly turned to anger after a church attendee added an important detail: She was 16 at the time.

Pastor John Lowe confessed his sin at the end of Sunday service at New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Ind. He said he committed adultery around 20 years ago.

Following his speech and the ensuing round of applause, a woman in the audience and her husband replaced Lowe in front of the church.

“For 27 years I lived in a prison. It was not 20 years. I lived in a prison of lies and shame. Lying to protect the Lowe family for years, I thought I was a horrible person, having suicidal thoughts, not realizing what had been truly done to me,” the woman said.

“I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor,” she said, speaking directly to Lowe. “Do you remember that? I know you do.”

The woman added she had many more stories that she could tell as well. Her husband said the “relationship” lasted nine years. After the woman finished her speech, congregants demanded that Lowe return to the microphone. He admitted that his relationship with the woman started when she was just 16 years old.

“It was wrong. I can’t make it right,” he said.

Pastor John Lowe speaks at New Life Christian Church and World Outreach in Warsaw, Ind. (Facebook/)

The woman said that she tried to talk with someone at the time, but the church closed ranks around Lowe. Her refound courage came after speaking to her brother two weeks ago. The brother said that years ago he remembered seeing his pastor in bed with his younger sister.

New Life church released a statement Monday saying that Lowe had resigned from his role as pastor. The local prosecutor in Warsaw, about 100 miles north of Indianapolis, told NBC News that they’re “not permitted to disseminate any information regarding alleged misconduct.”